U.S. Pat. No. 4,425,661 discloses a system which is able to transmit data information simultaneously with voice in a single channel. The data information is transmitted at frequencies less than the voice transmission. Use is made of a spread spectrum technique to transmit the digital data. To that end, in one embodiment, four signals of different frequencies are used. When a logic 1 is to be transmitted, a signal is generated which bounced between the two lower frequencies, whereas when a logic 0 is to be transmitted a signal is generated that is bounced between the two higher frequencies of the set of four frequencies. All four frequencies are below the voice band. Thus, harmonics of them will be spread through the voice band and the resulting noise will be smeared over the voice band. U.S. Pat. No. 4,425,661 is restricted to transmitting digital data by means of analog signals below the voice band. Moreover, due to the very low frequencies used for the transmission of the digital data transmission rates are low. Only binary values can be transmitted, no plurality of values can be encoded.
Several other prior art documents refer to using spread spectrum techniques for transmitting data and voice simultaneously. E.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,073,899 relates to spread spectrum techniques for simultaneously transmitting data and voice over a single channel.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,313,197 discloses combined transmission of speech and non-speech on a single channel using spread spectrum multiplexing techniques. Non-speech signals are transmitted in a portion of the voice band where transmission of voice is poor, thus reducing the influence on the transmitted voice. Similar methods are disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 4,512,013 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,523,311.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,672,605 relates to a technique for simultaneously transmitting data and voice in a single communication channel, in which digital data information is processed by means of a time compression multiplex technique and a spread spectrum technique.
Several prior art documents use steganography (i.e. obscuring information that is otherwise in plain sight) to simultaneously transmit digital data and voice. One example is U.S. Pat. No. 5,613,004 which combines steganography with cryptography in order to be able to encode and decode additional information into a stream of digitized data.
An other example is U.S. Pat. No. 5,745,604. The method disclosed impresses a digital identification signal on a carrier to be identified, e.g., an electronic signal related to music or a picture. An N-bit value digital signal is embedded onto the entire (analog) signal through the addition of a very low amplitude encodation signal which has the look and characteristics of pure noise. To that end, the noise already present in the signal is increased by a predetermined acceptable noise level, e.g., a 1 dB increase might be acceptable. When another carrier is suspect to be copied without permission, the content of the other carrier is compared to the original. Using statistical evaluating techniques it is identified whether the other carrier comprises the digital identification signal and, thus, indeed is an unauthorised copy. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,745,604 one knows the digital signal to look for. No method is disclosed for transmitting arbitrary data.
In a method disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 5,748,763 (of the same inventor as U.S. Pat. No. 5,745,604) an imperceptible identification code is embedded throughout a source signal. This is done by modulating the source signal with a small noise signal in a coded fashion. Bits of a binary identification code may be referenced to control modulation of the source signal with the noise signal. This document also refers to using identification signals having amplitudes in the noise range.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,477,848 is directed to a system for recording of an audio message together with a data signal indicative of the audio message such that during playback of the message it can be established whether the playback is authentic or not. The data signal comprises digital information, e.g., as to the date and time of recording, but also as to the audio message itself. In one embodiment, the use of two distinct frequencies to represent logic 0 or logic 1 is disclosed, with reference to Frequency Shift Keying are used in traditional modems.
The present invention elaborates on the concept of dual-tone-multi-frequency (DTMF), which is now widely used in telecommunications. The essential features of the DTMF concept will be illustrated with reference to FIG. 1.
FIG. 1 schematically shows, by means of circles, twelve keys of a telephone provided with keys. Ten of the keys are dedicated to numbers 0 through 9 whereas the other two keys are dedicated to functions indicated by a * and a #, respectively. Each of the keys is shown to be positioned on the intersection of two lines. For instance, key “1” is located on the intersection of two lines f1 and f5. Each of the lines f1, . . . , f8 refers to a wire or the like connected to suitable oscillator means generating an analogue signal with frequency f1, . . . , f8. The frequencies f1, . . . , f8 all differ from one another. When a user of the telephone presses one of the keys, say key “1”, an analogue signal will be generated comprising two analogue signals with two frequencies, e.g., f1 and f5. Thus, a signal with a unique combination of two different frequencies is generated. Similarly, pressing each of the other keys generates a signal with a unique combination of two different frequencies.
A receiving unit, for instance located in a telephone exchange for establishing a communication channel between a calling telephone and a telephone to be called, receives a sequence of signals generated by the user of the telephone and is provided with suitable filters for detecting the unique combination of two frequencies in each of the signals received. Thus, such a receiver is for instance able to identify the telephone number of a telephone to be called.
Of course, signals generated in such a way by a user may be used in another way, for instance, for transmitting encoded instructions to a receiving telecommunication device, instructing that telecommunication device, e.g., to connect the calling telephone to a special department of an office associated with the instruction concerned.
In the arrangement shown in FIG. 1, there are eight frequencies f1, . . . , f8. In many telephone devices one of the frequencies (for instance f4) is not used.